Young communists want to put youth in uniform

MILITARY service could soon be back in SA – if the Young Communist League (YCL) gets its way.

The YCL has called for the defence force to open up for national service in order to give South African youth career options, and to prepare for any future foreign aggression, but stopped short of using the term conscription.

League secretary Buti Manamela said a proposal for the introduction of military education would be presented for discussion at the YCL’s four-day national council conference that starts today in Johannesburg.

“It’s not really about being in danger, but I think it’s really about being prepared for an invasion,” Manamela said yesterday.

Manamela suggested that young people be enrolled in military institutions after completing their matric . He refused to call this conscription.

The South African National Defence Force was already battling with capacity constraints while having to contend with the effects of integration, with soldiers being much older than the international average. Each year it takes in only about 3000 cadets from about 20,000 applications. Even then, many of the new recruits were placed on short contracts.

Source: Wilson Johwa, Young communists want to put youth in uniformBusiness Day, December 11, 2008

For text: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A903098

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FMF Policy Bulletin/ 16 December 2008